Wedding Dress
by Paper Flight
Summary: Soul plays the piano for Maka's wedding, masking his broken heart with one final song for her. Based on the music video for the song "Wedding Dress" by Taeyang  태양 .


**Wedding Dress**

**Summary: **Soul plays the piano for Maka's wedding, masking his broken heart with one final song for her. Based on the music video for the song "Wedding Dress" by Taeyang (태양).

**A/N: **The first part of the lyrics is from the Korean version, the last part is from the English version (yes, the lyrics are different.) Personally, I like the Korean version a little better, because I love Taeyang's voice, but J. Reyez and Tommy C do a pretty darn good job too.

_Baby, don't take his hand when he comes to you_

'_Cause you should be my lady_

_I've been waiting for you for so long_

_Please look at me…_

He ran his fingers gently over the ivory keys, making sure that each note was as clear and precise as possible. The music wasn't difficult, and was downright easy compared to pieces he'd played before. But it was different – this was the one piece where he absolutely was _not _allowed to mess up, where the music had to be _beyond _perfect.

Because it was the piece he was going to play at her wedding.

He closed the lid over the keyboard and rested his hand thoughtfully on the wood cover. He'd saved money for an entire year so that he could splurge on a small, upright piano. It was a shoddy piece of work, the cheapest he could find, but it didn't matter. Now, more than ever, he found himself needing to lose himself in music, focusing on playing and composing to distract himself from the loneliness he felt. Maka had moved out of their apartment several years ago, ("_I need to be more independent, Soul. Besides, you can't honestly expect us to live together for the rest of our lives,")_ so he'd turned her room into a small music room. Soul glanced out the open window, sunshine streaming through the sheer curtains. It was a beautiful day, birds chirping, skies blue – a perfect day for a wedding. A faint breeze blew through the room, and the curtains fluttered gently.

"_What are we doing here?" he grumbled, watching as she examined different types of fabric, checking the patterns and feeling the texture between her delicate hands._

"_I thought we could use some new curtains, you know, just to brighten up the place a little," she replied, not looking at him._

"_Curtains? What are you, a mom?" he asked incredulously. "We're nineteen; we have better things to do than buy curtains! At least let's go to the food court or something," he protested._

_She didn't even bother answering, instead examining a soft, creamy sheer curtain. "What do you think of this one?" she asked._

_He sighed. Really, he should have taken up Black*Star's offer to go to that party, but it was too late now. Black*Star and the others were probably having loads of fun and – _

_Who was he kidding? He'd rather be here, with his meister, than at some trashy party any day, curtains or no. Glancing at the delicate curtain in her hand, he reached over and held it up._

"_What do I think? Hmmm…" he murmured. Grinning cheekily, he threw the curtain over his head and circled her, arms outstretched. "I'm a ghost! Ooooohhhh!" he groaned._

_She laughed good-naturedly, but swatted him on the head with a novel she'd pulled out of nowhere. "Soul, c'mon, I'm not kidding. What do you – Soul! Where are you going?" He'd just darted away from her, and began running around the store, still moaning like a ghost and weaving around the furniture. He ran up to a little boy, no older than five, and shouted "Boo!" The boy's mother pulled aside her child in irritation, and he ran off in the other direction to terrorize other innocent shoppers. Grumbling to herself (but fighting back a smile), she chased after him._

_And so began one of the most epic hide-and-seek games in the history of IKEA._

The curtains fell still as the wind stopped blowing. Soul got up from the piano bench and stretched his back until his spine cracked, then relaxed his muscles. Rubbing his neck, he walked over to his room to change for the wedding.

As he buttoned up his vest, he caught sight of the cold, diamond ring on his desk. It sparkled in the sunshine, casting rainbows along the wall and he picked it up, holding it in his palm. Maybe it was just his imagination, but the diamond seemed to be a few degrees colder, despite the summery weather. Without thinking, he slipped it into his pocket and ran his fingers through his silvery hair – he'd given up years ago trying to tame it. Stopping by Maka's old room, now his makeshift music room, he picked up the score for Wagner's Bridal Chorus, and left the old apartment.

Soul neglected his battered motorcycle in favor of a walk. The small church where she was going to get married wasn't too far away from where he lived. As he waited for the traffic signal to change, he looked up at the bright sky. The sun flashed in his eyes, and he lifted a hand to shield them.

"_Who's this by?" she asked. They were relaxing on the small couch in their living room, taking a well-deserved break from kishin fighting after filling up their monthly quota of souls. He'd been listening to his iPod, and she'd sat down next to him. Stealing his headphones, she'd rifled through his playlists, furrowing her brow at the unfamiliar songs._

_He reached around, gently wrapping his arms around her torso so that he could see the title of the song playing. "Flaming Lips," he said, squinting at the screen. "You know, it gives you the artist right here," he said, pointing a finger at the iPod._

"_Oh." She continued to listen for a few minutes, then switched to the next song on the playlist. Her expression shifted to one of confusion, and she wrinkled her nose. "I…I don't understand these lyrics."_

_He glanced curiously at her. "What are you listening to?"_

_She showed him the iPod, and he laughed. "You've never heard Daft Punk?" He laughed again, and she shoved him. He squinted at the screen. "That's a good song. Lemme listen to it too. It is my iPod, after all," and she handed him an earbud, resting her head against the crook of his neck._

_The next song came up, and she bolted upright, giving him a startled glance with wide eyes. "What is _that? _It's like that piece you first played for me, you know, when we met at the Shibusen Christmas Ball."_

_He smirked._

"_That, Maka, is Ludwig van Beethoven."_

The church was approaching up ahead. Already, he could hear the laughter and chatter of the guests swarming around the entrance, waiting for the wedding to start. He hurried up the steps, hoping to catch a glimpse of her before the procession started. Someone caught him by his sleeve.

"SOUL! It's been a while, huh? How've you been without me?" Someone with bright blue hair caught him in a bear hug before releasing him and gripping him by his shoulders. Soul smiled widely and gave Black*Star a high five. "You must be so proud of her! Can you believe she's getting married? And to _Kid!_ You know it's weird, because I thought you and Maka had a thing going." Black*Star furrowed his eyebrows for a second, completely oblivious to Soul's darkening expression. "Well, whatever! They make a great couple, you know? I can't even imagine how happy you must be feeling! You guys were partners for, what, four years?"

"Six and a half," said Soul between gritted teeth, but Black*Star didn't hear.

"Good thing that you're a Death Scythe now, so you have a bunch of different meisters. Would've been kind of awkward if not, you know what I mean?"

"I have to go." Abruptly, he pushed past his friend and began walking towards the door to the church.

"Okay, Soul! I'll look for you at the piano, okay?"

Black*Star was so tactless.

_She looked up from her book and stared at him – his face was peering at hers, and his red eyes blinked owlishly. "Soul, you're blocking my light," she said._

"_What's the point of coming out to the park if all you're going to do is read? And you shouldn't be reading, it's getting dark. You'll mess up your eyesight. I brought you out here so you'd get some fresh air."_

"_I don't need fresh air!" she protested. "I get plenty of fresh air!"_

"_No, when you're not fighting witches, you're cooped up in your room reading some encyclopedia. If you keep doing that, you'll grow mushrooms on your head," he said gravely._

"_MAKA CHOP!" She swung her book at him, but he laughed and ducked. Snatching her book away from her, he sat down on the blanket next to her, pointing up at the clouds. _

"_There, see? You can't get a view like that from staring at a page in a book."_

_Sighing, she flipped over onto her back, resting her head on his lap, and looked up at the sky. The drooling sun was desperately fighting off sleep, and the golden light from its dying rays bled into the sky, painting it a gorgeous smear of purples, pinks, and oranges._

"_It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked her softly, staring down intently at her vivid emerald eyes._

_She tilted her chin up to look back at him, blushing when she met his eyes, so that her cheeks matched the rosy hue of the sky. "Yeah," she said quietly. "It is."_

Soul walked slowly towards the bridal room and stood outside the open door, one hand jammed inside his pocket, fingering the diamond ring. He could hear the giggling and laughing of the girls coming from within. Maka was surrounded by Tsubaki, Liz, Patti, and Blair, all of whom were wearing satin, periwinkle blue dresses. She was sitting in a chair, clutching a small bouquet of flowers, and was laughing at something Blair had just said. She wore a simple white dress, which only made her look more stunning, and her silky ash-blonde hair was twisted elegantly above her head with white flowers woven in. When she saw Soul standing at the doorway, her eyes lit up brightly and she ran forward, hugging him tightly and kissing him gently on the cheek.

"I'm so glad you could come!" she said, somewhat breathlessly.

"Yes, well, it'd be a problem if the pianist didn't show up, don't you think?" he said, smiling at her. He looked carefully at her, taking her in. "You look beautiful," he said seriously.

She fiddled with her dress. "Thanks. It means a lot to me for you to say that."

He reached out a hand toward her. "Maka, there's something I – "

"Soul! I'm so glad you came!" Out of nowhere, Kid popped up next to Maka and clapped a hand on the others shoulder. The young shinigami looked quite dashing in a black tuxedo, a boutonnière pinned to his lapel. He smiled at Maka, who shrieked and ran away back towards the bridal room. Liz and Patti glared at their meister before slamming the door shut. Confused, Kid started after her, but Soul caught him by the wrist.

"It's bad luck for the groom to see his bride before the wedding starts," he said quietly.

"Oh," said Kid in surprise. "Well, it doesn't matter. That's just an old wife's tale, after all."

There was an awkward silence.

Then Soul spoke up. "Congratulations, Kid. You two will be really happy together."

_You win._

Kid's golden eyes lit up and he smiled happily at Soul.

"_I know who Beethoven is," she said huffily._

"_Yeah?" he teased, pulling her onto his lap. She leaned back against him, settling onto his back comfortably._

"_As a matter of fact, I've even read several biographies about him."_

_He whistled softly under his breath. "That's impressive. He was quite the guy."_

"_Who?" asked a different voice, and both Soul and Maka jumped, startled by the newcomer. Before Maka could turn around, someone had placed hands around her eyes. "Guess who?" Soul twisted his neck to see who was behind them and saw Kid winking back at him._

_Maka hummed. "Kid," she guessed._

"_Correct!" The shinigami removed his hands and climbed over the edge of the couch to sit next to Maka. _

_She looked at him in confusion. "How did you get in here?"_

"_Oh, I was just stopping by to say hello and I let myself in with the spare key._

"_You have a spare key?" asked Soul incredulously._

"_Yeah, Maka gave me one," answered Kid cheerily."So, who were you guys talking about?"_

"_Beethoven," answered Soul and Maka at the same time._

_Kid shuddered. "I don't really like his music. Incredibly dark and…unsymmetrical, if you know what I mean."_

_Soul looked at him sharply. "How is music supposed to symmetrical?" he asked._

_Kid shrugged. "I don't really know how to explain it. Maybe Maka understands, she doesn't really like music that much either." He put an arm gently around her._

_She shrugged. "He's okay, I guess."_

"Thanks, Soul. That really means a lot to me. She looks great, doesn't she? Her dress, her hair, her flowers, everything is perfectly symmetrical!"

"She's beautiful," agreed Soul.

_Soul leaned back, placing his hands behind his head, and lay down next to her, staring up at the fiery sky. They were quiet for a few moments, contemplating the heavens above._

_Footsteps approached. "Maka, Soul, hey! I thought I recognized that bright orange motorcycle. There's not one like it in all of Death City, that's for sure."_

_The two looked up to see Kid standing over them, a bright smile on his face. Soul sat back up, and Maka rolled over onto her stomach. "What are you guys doing out here?"_

"_Soul dragged me out for some fresh air," explained Maka. "Isn't the sky just gorgeous?"_

"_I dunno…" said Kid, slowly. He leaned closer to Maka, cupping her cheek with his hand. "I think you're much, much more gorgeous than the sky."_

_She laughed and pushed him away. "Oh, stop it."_

"_What? Aren't I allowed to compliment my girlfriend?"_

His hands flowed effortlessly over the keys, each note ringing like a clear bell as she walked slowly down the hall, for once in her life holding Spirit's arm on her own free will. Spirit could not have looked more proud. His blue eyes brimmed with tears and pride shone from every inch of his face. He could not have been more happy that his own daughter was getting married to a _Shinigami_, of all men. People began clapping, everyone in the wedding wearing teary smiles on their faces.

All but one.

Soul gazed at Maka as she walked up the steps of the altar to join Kid, his red eyes dark and brooding. But despite his churning emotions, he managed to keep the tune he was playing light and cheerful.

For her sake, it was the least he could do. He would _not_ ruin her special day with his own bitterness.

While Justin Law was delivering the formalities, headphones still in his ears, Maka looked over at the piano. When she caught his eye, she winked at him, holding onto Kid's arm. He looked away, but she didn't notice, continuing to scan the crowd and smile at the guests before her. Kid looked at him, then, and smiled.

_I win._

He closed his eyes, remembering that day and regretting it.

_Most of Spartoi had gathered at the courts of Shibusen for a game of basketball. Soul and Kid had subbed out for Kilik and Harvar respectively, and both sat on the bench, watching the sidelines and drinking water._

_Kid gave Soul a sideways glance. "Hey, Soul, I need to ask you something," he said uncomfortably._

"_Yeah?" He took a sip of water._

"_Are…are you and Maka dating?"_

_Soul spat out the water he'd just gulped, choking, and Kid pounded him on the back. "What? No!" he spluttered instinctively, his immediate reaction to the sudden and unexpected question._

_Kid let out a sigh of relief. "So you wouldn't be upset or anything if I asked out Maka, right? Because you two aren't dating."_

"_I…what?" asked Soul, completely nonplussed. "Are you saying that you like Maka?"_

_The young shinigami sighed. "It's more than that. I just can't get her off my mind. She's so…her pigtails are always so symmetrical!"_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_I know, I know. But I think we'd be good together, don't you think? I mean, we both study really hard, and we both want to make our weapons Death Scythes. It helps that we're both meisters too, you know? We've got a lot in common."_

_Soul was silent._

"_So it's okay then? Thank goodness. I mean, if you'd said that you were dating, I'd have backed off immediately, but I wanted your permission first."_

_It was then that Black*Star knocked out Ox, claiming that he'd travelled, and Soul was forced to replace his unconscious teammate._

_He didn't worry too much, though. Kid was so neurotic that he and Maka would probably be the most dysfunctional couple on the face of the earth._

_But his skepticism slowly began to corrode into bitterness, dripping like acid in his stomach every time he saw Kid wrap his arms around Maka or whisper something into her ear._

_He thanked Shinigami that he hadn't stumbled upon them kissing. He prayed, foolishly, stupidly, that they didn't._

Looking back, Soul realized that he should have punched Kid in the face right then and there, informing him that he was, in fact, dating Maka, and that Kid was not to go near Maka within a ten-mile radius.

But it was too late now. Maka and Kid had just exchanged vows, and Justin had given them his blessing.

_The wedding was over, all the guests had already left. But he stayed behind at the altar, in the cold, cold chapel, hands in his pockets, staring at the scattered flower petals left behind by Angela, the flower girl._

"_Soul." She was standing behind him, he could feel her presence, and she slipped her arms around his waist, resting her face on his back. She began to cry softly._

_He turned around, loosening her arms, and looked down at her._

"_I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't want it to be this way. I just…why did you wait so long?"_

_He looked down at her, his heart breaking. There was nothing he could do now._

_Bullshit._

_Nobody was watching, there was nobody in the chapel except for the two of them. He took her into his arms and kissed her on the lips, ignoring her initial surprise until she gave in and kissed him back. They broke off, and she buried her face in his chest, tears sliding down her face._

People began clapping as the newly wedded couple began walking back down the pews towards the door, both smiling blissfully. They stepped out the open doors, arm in arm, into the bright and warm sunshine, leaving flower petals strewn about on the marble floor.

_He really shouldn't have. He knew he shouldn't have, every fiber of his body screamed against it, but his heart and his soul forced him to._

_He found her standing by the bar, though she was drinking from a bottle of water. Tsubaki was explaining something to her, waving her hands, and she laughed. They made eye contact, and he motioned for her to follow him. Curious, she wove through the crowd and followed him to a quiet, separate hallway._

"_Hey, what's up?" she asked._

_He hesitated. "There's something I want to ask you."_

_Her face grew serious. "Yeah?"_

_He paused, scrutinizing her with his wine-colored eyes. "What am I to you?"_

_She frowned slightly, like she'd been expecting this. She set the water bottle down beside her and rubbed her wrist awkwardly. "Soul…you're my partner. You're my weapon, and you're the first friend I ever had, and you're my best friend. You'll always, always, always be my best friend."_

_The ring in his pocket felt like a fucking boulder, weighing him down._

"_Is that it?"_

_She wouldn't look at him, wouldn't meet his eyes. "My best friend, Soul, nothing more, nothing less."_

_Bitterly, he turned to go, but someone ran up to them. "Maka! I was hoping to find you here!" Kid ran up to Maka, planting himself right in front of her, blocking out Soul._

_Soul swore violently to himself. Bastard, he _always _showed up at the wrong time._

"_Maka, there's something I want to ask you," said Kid dramatically._

_Maka's eyes widened. "Yeah?" she asked breathlessly._

_He got down on one knee. "Will you marry me?" and he whipped out from his pocket a small velvet box, opening it to reveal a sparkling diamond ring._

_Soul's heart shattered. The world was a cruel, cruel place._

_She laughed. "Yes!" and he stood up to give her a hug, lifting her up and twirling her around._

_Kid turned to Soul with his arm around Maka, blissfully unaware of the snarl beginning to rise from the throat of the young Death Scythe._

"_And, Soul, since you and Maka have been partners for so long (four years, right?) – "_

" – _Six and a half, actually – " cut in Maka._

"_Anyways, since you guys have been partners for so long, I wanted you to have a special part in the wedding. I'd be honored if you'd be the pianist for us."_

Soul leaned against the doorframe of the chapel, watching the as Maka threw the bouquet of flowers into the air. Tsubaki caught it, and Black*Star gave her a nudge, making her blush. The newlyweds proceeded down the steps of the church, laughter mingling with the chirping birds and blending with the cheerful warmth of sunshine.

He took the ring from his pocket and held it up to the sun. It flashed brightly, casting sparkling rainbows, and then he dropped it on the floor, where it clinked against the stone. Soul began walking back towards his apartment.

_Their apartment._

As he approached the edge of the steps, he saw Maka waiting for him. Kid was somewhere else, chatting with one of the guests.

She looked at him, a sad smile on her face. She reached out to touch his face, but he twisted his head away. "Thanks for playing, Soul. It was beautiful."

"Anything for you."

She hesitated. "Didn't you have something you wanted to tell me, back outside the bridal room?"

He looked at her, then shrugged and turned away.

"No. It was nothing."

…_But if you believe that you belong with him_

_Promise me, you won't let anyone hurt you_

_Remember, I will always be here for you_

_Even if it kills me to see you_

_In that wedding dress_

_~end~_

**A/N:** Ugh… I am never, _ever, _writing Kid x Maka again. I love Kid, I really do, just not with Maka. I kept wanting to have Kid die a sudden and violent death, but it didn't really work with the story. Well, whatever, I cursed them with bad luck because Kid saw Maka before the wedding. So there.

Oh man, I really gotta stop writing angst…

~ r


End file.
